Doomsday

Chapter 3 - Endings

Author's Note: The first thing I'm doing from Hunter's POV because I thought it might be sorta cute –

~ Rivana Rita

He didn't mean to yell at his brothers. He never does. But they had orders, and they should've followed them. Hunter told them to follow them, but they refused and...

It wasn't his fault. It feels like it.

It's hard to think about anything with the pain lancing through his head as it has been ever since Kaller, hard to think of anything save the constant blurring whisper of good soldiers follow orders and a good leader protects his squad and Hunter isn't doing either of those right now.

He should have pushed harder, should have made them do it anyway. If he had, they wouldn't be here, and they wouldn't be... what? Waiting for execution? He should've stopped it.

He should've –

Done it anyway. But he didn't, because his brothers insisted, and he's angry. Refusing means they're traitors. And there's an outlandish part of his mind demanding that they be... put down for it. His brothers are why all of them failed every mission they've been on since Kaller – including Kaller.

"You're angry," Omega's quiet voice says beside him, and he jolts slightly, turning to look down at her.

It startles him back to presence. He's not angry at her, even if he doesn't want to talk to her either. She was willing to stand up for them. Any other time, it might've made him... something. He's not sure. Of course, I am, a part of him wants to snap, but Omega doesn't deserve his anger. "How do you know?" he asks instead.

"You're always calm," she answers, as if she could somehow know that. "You don't yell."

And how do you know that? a part of him wants to ask, but he... doesn't. He doesn't know her – she shouldn't know this. But there is something familiar about her. Something about her scent and the feel of her heartbeat is... familiar. If he didn't know better, he could swear he knew her.

"I know what you're going to do, but please don't," she says, softly.

Hunter turns to look at her – really look at her – for what feels like the first time. How could you know, he wants to ask, when not even I do? Instead, he says nothing.

"It's not your fault," she offers, reaching up to lay her hand on his arm. Something about that, too, is so familiar – tugging at something in his mind, a strange distant impression of gentle hands touching him, but it's gone in a flash, replaced by Omega's small form. "You can't help it."

Can't help what he's about to ask. That he couldn't lead his own squad, the brothers he grew up with, and fulfill his sole responsibility? It's not his only one though – goodsoldiersfolloworders –

The cell door in front of them slides open, and the regs are standing there. "CT-9901, you're coming with us," the one in front says, and his brothers are already halfway to their feet.

But they've done enough fighting orders, and if one of them is going to be in trouble for it, it deserves to be Hunter. He waves to them to hold back and stands, stepping outside the cell.

The door hisses shut behind him.

And somehow... somehow, it feels like he won't be going back.

***

No one's said anything since Hunter left. Frankly, there's not much to say. Unless they can think of a way out... they likely won't make it past these walls.